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A Report on Dynamics of Bullying Behaviour in Childhood

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A Report on Dynamics of Bullying Behaviour in Childhood

Bullying is a prevalent problem that affects children globally. This problem has severe psychological and physical consequences (Naveed et al.,2019). It is essential to comprehend childhood factors that result in bullying behavior to develop effective intervention and prevention strategies. The following report will discuss the elements and nature of childhood that can decrease or increase bullying incidences, like child agency, maturation, childhood roles, discipline, and child resources. In addition, it will discuss how treatment and commission of bullying has changed over time. The report will also discuss the general data on bullying behavior.

Childhood nature elements and their effect on bullying

Child agency: Child Agency is the ability of a child to make decisions and exercise control over their behaviors. In bullying, some children might use the agency to bully others to acquire peer approval and implement dominance( Abebe,2019). For example, a kid with low empathy and his aim to seek social validation may cause them to bully others. Children with strong empathy and are socially responsible on the other hand are less likely to bully others.

Maturation: Childhood is categorized by cognitive, emotional, and physical growth. As kids develop, they understand their actions and the importance of empathizing with others (Keresztes et al.,2018). The maturation process decreases bullying behavior as a child has better social skills and impulse control. Some children may struggle with maturation aspects, leading to insistent bullying behaviors.

Child roles: Children play different roles within their peer groups and families that might ignite bullying tendencies. In addition, children who have lousy role models, like adults who are bullies and aggressive, are more likely to practice the same behaviors(Naveed et al.,2019). On the other hand, children around people with conflict resolution skills and encouraging empathy are not likely to practice bullying.

Discipline: Discipline is another important aspect that can increase or decrease bullying behavior. The discipline method educators and caregivers use impacts the child’s comprehension of suitable behavior. Inconsistent discipline can lead to aggression and frustration, increasing bullying(Naveed et al.,2019). Conversely, consistent bullying can reduce bullying as it stresses problem-solving, empathy, and communication.

Child resources: Access to resources like mental health services, education, and supportive adults can either mitigate or prevent bullying. A supportive system allows children to seek help for their aggressive behaviors(Naveed et al.,2019). Those with no access to a supportive system continue to practice bullying.

Evolution of treatment of bullying behavior

Over time, the treatment of bullying behavior has changed. Communities and schools have established anti-bullying programs to promote empathy, teach conflict resolution skills, and raise awareness. In addition, cyberbullying has emerged as the technology continues to advance. Treatment options have had to adopt addressing online bullying and providing digital literacy education. Additionally, identifying that bullying has psychological and physical consequences has promoted mental health support to prevent it.

Evolution of commission of bullying behavior

While considerable progress has been made in preventing bullying, some challenges persist in preventing its commission. One of the challenges is social media, as it provides bullies with a platform to anonymously bully-victims, which is difficult to detect and address. Peer pressure is another challenge; some children need peer approval and social validation. In addition, many bullying incidents go unreported due to the fear of stigma, retaliation, and lack of trust.

General Data on Bullying

Gender: Research shows that bullying varies depending on gender. Boys are most likely to bully others physically through pushing and hitting (Ahmad & Smith,2022). Boys are also more likely to be victims of physical bullying, and girls are likely to be victims of indirect bullying, like spreading rumors and exclusion.

Age: The behavior of bullying also varies depending on age. The behavior mostly peaks in middle school (Naveed et al.,2019). Also, physical bullying is more likely to occur in early adolescence, and cyberbullying mainly occurs in late adolescence.

Income: Research shows that bullying occurs at all income levels. However, those children from low-income households lack a supporting system and resources, making them vulnerable to bullying.

Ethnicity: Research shows that bullying affects children from all backgrounds. Nonetheless, cultural factors determine the kind of bullying behaviors to be displayed. For example, the cultural norms of different communities can affect how bullying is addressed and perceived(Naveed et al.,2019). Also, bullying behaviors are motivated by race, as some children target those from a different race.

In conclusion, childhood behaviors contribute to the development of bullying. Factors including child agency, maturation, childhood roles, discipline, and child resources contribute to its prevention or occurrence. The treatment and commission of bullying are slowly changing, recognizing it as a problem needing intervention. In addition, the categorical data reveals that bullying is a problem that affects children of all genders, ages, levels of income, and ethnicity.

References

Abebe, T. (2019). Reconceptualising children’s agency as continuum and interdependence.
Social Sciences,
8(3), 81.

Ahmad, Y., & Smith, P. K. (2022). Bullying in schools and the issue of sex differences. In
Male violence (pp. 70-83). Routledge.

Hicks, J., Jennings, L., Jennings, S., Berry, S., & Green, D. A. (2018). Middle school bullying: Student reported perceptions and prevalence.
Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling,
4(3), 195-208.

Keresztes, A., Ngo, C. T., Lindenberger, U., Werkle-Bergner, M., & Newcombe, N. S. (2018). Hippocampal maturation drives memory from generalization to specificity.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences,
22(8), 676-686.

Naveed, S., Waqas, A., Aedma, K. K., Afzaal, T., & Majeed, M. H. (2019). Association of bullying experiences with depressive symptoms and psychosocial functioning among school going children and adolescents.
BMC research notes,
12, 1-4.